gender neutrality

Avoid gendered job titles such as firemanstewardess or male nurse; use firefighterflight attendant and nurse.

Use actor to refer to both men and women. The Academy Award for Best Actress, however, is an official category name.

Do not force gender neutrality: Use he and she where appropriate for singular pronouns, not they. Generally, use the pronoun preferred by the subject; if ambiguous, consider writing to avoid pronouns:

The storm battered Robert Smith’s home in Cumbria for days. “We were lucky to get out alive,” he said.

The storm battered Robin Smith’s home in Cumbria for days. “We were lucky to get out alive,” Smith said.

Male and female are the proper adjectives to describe a person: female president, not woman president.